May 2, 2009

Michael Steele and the Incredibly Shrinking GOP


Michael Steele made more than his share of mistakes since he became GOP chair. He is trying to make a comeback with group called the National Council for a New America. This new group hopes to produce GOP ideas on major issues like health care and education. The group holds its first town hall meeting on Saturday in Northern Virginia, which will be attended by former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA).

Steele still gets grief from members of his own party. Former Bush budget director Jim Nussle expressed a lack of confidence in Michael Steele's leadership of the RNC. "I don't think we've found that yet in Michael or anybody else yet for the party," Nussle said. "So we're going to have to struggle through that for a while."

Finally, it seems that young Michael is engaged in a food fight with RNC treasurer Randy Pullen. Steele recently wrote that Pullen's attempt to wrestle control over RNC spending to be "nothing short of a completely unprecedented usurpation of the authority of the RNC chairman." He added, "No RNC chairman has ever had to deal with this, and I certainly have no intention of putting up with it either."

Poor Michael Steele and his shrinking Republican Party. That can't help but shoot themselves in the foot. It does make for good comedic relief!

7 comments:

Monica Roberts said...

While it's great comic relief for me as a Democrat, and as someone who has tangled with the yahoo variety on more than several occasions, I am disturbed that the it's gotten this bad for the GOP.

This nations two party system works best when you have two healthy parties fighting for the center. When you have that's not even trying, that's bad for the country because it doesn't push the other party to make the improvements or adjustments needed to come up with dynamite, long lasting policies that everybody can get behind.

It's also bad when one party is controlled by its nutcase fringe to the point where reasonable people are fleeing it.

Unknown said...

Monica - I don't know if the Republicans are going to be able to recover. Consider Arlen Specter. He voted with the GOP 70% of the time. The Republicans cheered when a guy who voted with them 70% of the time left ... the Democratics have a big enough tent that they cheered when a guy that voted with them only 30% of the time came on board...

msladyDeborah said...

Villager,

Now that I have stopped laughing at the elephant graphic, I might be able to comment like I have good sense.

The GOP is no less than a HAWT MESS! Confused and dazed are polite terms to describe their current state of political mind.

Michael Steele had to know that he really wasn't going to step into that position like his white male counterparts. If he believed otherwise then he is truly Boo Boo the Fool!

You know like I do what conservative politics sound like. We are from a state that has conservatives from both sides. Do you think Michael Steele's early on declarations of bringing Hip Hop into the GOP made them feel he was the okay choice? I seriously doubt it.

He has been underminded, insulted by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, he has done more political damage to himself than he might dare to admit. So this is not really that unsettling to me as a casual observer. I didn't think he was going to have major impact on a political group that is stunned over their losses.

He really needs some support. Ironically the other black GOP members don't seem to be rallying to help him either.

I wonder when the push is going to start to remove him from that position? I don't see the GOP coming together under his leadership. There are just too many opposing factions fighting like hell to take over. Who would of guessed that in the 21st Century we would see this?

I have been following the GOP's plight. There are some really ugly politics rising up to the surface. I suspect that there is going to be an all out war before the next election cycle takes place.

SjP said...

Steele is out there all by "his d*mny" as we use to say which basically means that he's SoL. His first mistake was thinking that he truly was going to be the head of the RNC. His second mistake was not knowing when to keep his mouth shut. And his third mistake was thinking that he was anything more than the "token Negro-figurehead".

With all the turmoil going on in the RNC, however, Steele is really the least of their problems. Even though Steele is suppose to be their leader, there are all of these other folks who keep popping up. The latest of whom is Jeb Bush. Then you have Lt. Dan rallying the troops for a sweep across the country to find out what Americans think about health care. And lets not forget the Ice Queen who thinks she has the 2012 nomination and presidency in the bag.

These folks are all over the place. Their heading for self-distruction.

Mac Daddy Tribute Blog said...

I would like to feel sorry for Michael Steele, but I can't. He's one of those house negroes who has divested from the black community and its legacy of struggle for liberation. I got no love for this shoe shine boy.

Unknown said...

Lady D - Where did the term 'Boo Boo the Fool originate? It does seem to accurately describe Michael Steele. At some point, you hope he would catch a clue ... shut up ... and do his job. His career took a terminal hit when he lost that Senate seat...

Sojourner - You and Field Negro bust me up with your ability to give nicknames to political figures. Lt. Dan and Ice Queen are hilarious and accurate description of McCain and Palin...

MacDaddy - I feel ya!

Monica Roberts said...

Personally Villager, I still like Caribou Barbie for Sarah Failin'